Day: December 10, 2015

This is my summary of learning. I created it using Powtoon which was a pretty interesting experience! I remixed and created some of the images. It allowed me to have graphics specifically for what I wanted, but this was also very time consuming. I know a lot of my summary was based on questions, but I think that question sometimes have more meaning to them than the answers. Most of the questions I asked were explored throughout my blog posts. I wanted to record audio, but later found out that this is a feature that doesn’t work so well with Powtoon. You are supposedly able to record voice overs per slide, but I did not find that the function worked. I did add my voice add the end; however I found that it distracted from the overall flow of the video. As a result, I included the transcript of my final thoughts below.

Final Thoughts…

One of the major things that have changed in this course is my attitude towards online spaces. Sherry Turkle mirrored many of the concerns that I had with the way our society is now connecting with one another. I was definitely one of those people who viewed being online as time spent disconnecting rather than connecting. But what really resonated with me was the idea of an augmented reality. This is the notion that online life is shaped and augmented by what happens in everyday life. The two are so blurred together that they have become impossible to separate.

My favourite part of this course was the readings and blogs. I enjoyed how blogging allows you to express your opinions, link to other perspectives, and include images and videos to supplement your ideas.

I signed up for Twitter and spent a lot of time exploring various hashtags. I appreciated how you could follow professionals and organizations that were of interest to you. I did find myself gravitating more towards google plus, though. It felt like a more private community. I enjoyed being able to read other’s blogs and learning from the different perspectives people would have on our readings.

Overall what I have learned from this course is the importance of staying current with technology, to really look at the way I am using technology in the classroom and to consider the digital citizenship skills that are required for the technology we use. Many readings and videos also made me rethink what education could and perhaps should now look like. Digital technology has enabled students the ability to both consume and create content if provided the opportunity. I really do think it is the role of schools and teachers to provide students this ability to cultivate both skills in a safe and meaningful way.